Federação Moçambicana de Futebol (FMF)

South Africa see off Mozambique into final round

South Africa advanced to the final round of the qualifiers after beating Mozambique 3-0 on Sunday at Moruleng Stadium near Rustenburg, and 4-1 on aggregate.

A brace from Orlando Pirates striker, Lyle Foster and a solitary strike from Kaizer Chiefs midfielder, Wiseman Meyiwa, saw Amajita progress to the final lap, where they will face Malawi.

With the score line tied at 1-1 after the Mambinhas came from behind to salvage a draw at the Campo de Ferroviaro da Beira last week, it was there for the taking for Amajita with home ground advantage on their side.

The South Africans wasted no time in finding the back of the net as Meyiwa caught the visitors napping in the ninth minute with a wonderful strike to grab the lead for the hosts. With the lead on their side, Amajita bossed the midfield and were unfortunate not to find the second minutes later when Foster sent a curling strike that found Julio Matavele on full alert as he fisted over the bar.

Mozambique tried containing the relentless attack of Thabo Senong’s charges with the hope of regrouping at half time, but the second goal came in the 32nd minute thanks to Foster.

The South Africans went to the break with a comfortable 2-0 lead, making life difficult for their regional rivals who were a shadow of the side that came back from behind in the first leg.

The visitors seemed to be getting their feet on the ground in the early stages of the second stanza until Foster put the game beyond reach with his second strike of the day in the 66th minute as the hapless visitors looked on in dismay.

With the game set and match, Amajita kept possession for the remainder of the game as the visitors chased shadows with very little hope of restoring parity.

“We had a solid game plan which worked out quite well. We wanted to go at them but had to make sure that we keep things tidy at the back and I must congratulate the boys for a job well done. The early goal made things a bit easier although we had to be sure not to allow complacency to creep in. The boys did well, and they can be proud of themselves but there is still some work to be done before we secure a place in the competition” said South Africa coach Senong.